cedavid22

transplant nursing is definitely something you can get into as a new grad. that was my first job. its a very challenging med/surg environment with very sick patients & tons of meds (it may be different elsewhere). i worked on a unit that had liver, kidney, lung, & the occasional heart transplants, so it was a great experience in terms of learning all the systems. they get tons of meds, so its also a great experience in learning a variety of meds & multitasking. also, after a couple of yrs., you can become a certified transplant nurse. the best way to get there is most likely through a big city, teaching hospital, because not all hospitals have comprehensive transplant units. the one's i know offhand are mount sinai & columbia presbyterian in NYC. & most likely UCLA in LA & john's hopkins in baltimore. i believe smaller hospitals either spread out their transplant patients, have only 1 or two types of transplants (such as kidney & liver) on a unit, or transfer them to bigger hospitals. i don't know if all hospitals require experience, i'm sure you won't have any trouble getting a job on a transplant unit. its not exactly in demand. to get experience, you can become a nurse extern, aide, or clerk on a transplant unit. just ask HR. if you have any other questions, let me know. good luck!

if you've only been working a couple of times...you should only be on 1 patient...you can learn a lot from 1 pt. when i've precepted, i usually let them shadow me the first day, then 1 pt. the next, so they can see the "big" picture. as they move on to two...i let them focus on only those two & pull them in when i have something new to teach. & let them progress as needed. i feel in the beginning, you really should be able to focus on the pts. as a whole first (assessment, why is this pt. taking these meds & checking what each med is for, checking labs, practicing good documentation, practicing report, talking to the m.d., etc.) & you should be getting comfortable with non-thinking skills like setting up IV's, giving injections, pouring meds, learning your way around the facility, pt. hygiene, etc. (when you master this stuff...that saves you a ton of time). you'll learn nursing skills as you go along. worry about getting down the no-brainer basic ones first to save time. try to get organized & get a good pattern going...so, when you add on pts., you're not overwhelmed. saving time is key! if you're really bored & have done everything for your pt., offer other nurses help. these are your future co-workers...i'm sure they'll love that & you might learn something. my method may be different than others & certainly not the only one, but i got a lot of praise for this. don't worry about having a ton of pts. at once & not learning everything...in fact, enjoy it while you can. depending on how long your orientation is...you'll progress to the full load fine as long as you start off well. & remember that you're still not going to know everything when you're off orientation...but its always good to know who your resources are when you need help. as for your preceptor...he seems like he needs more patience with you & definitely needs to praise you more often. he can't expect you to learn the very first time, but definitely don't act like it was the first time learning it...that can be frustrating. if you don't remember all the steps...tell him what you know...& just try to do the best & have him guide you along. dont let him intimidate you to not ask questions. this is your license, too...& you need to learn correctly early on to gain good habits. definitely take notes as you go along with your orientation & review them. i don't think you need to speak to the manager just yet...its too early...speak to him about these issues...you have to be patient with him as well, b/c being a preceptor is also stressful. hope that was helpful..g'luck!

my mistake...so sorry for the misunderstanding. its very unfortunate that i have heard nurses on numerous occasions refer to us as pooper scoopers, so i took it within context.

Hi all! I have an ER interview next week & would appreciate any advice. My background: I worked on a very busy 36 bed transplant med/surg with stepdown unit for 2.5 yrs. I have experience as a charge nurse and preceptor. I am currently in school to be a Family Nurse Practioner & hoping that the ER will be an excellent opportunity to gain valuable experience. I researched as much as I could about the facility and its a community teaching hospital with a 40,000+ visit/yr. ER. Does anyone have any practice questions for me that an ER RN manager would specifically ask? or any advice on how I should prepare? Thank you so much in advance!

did you check out rutgers nursing? if you go in, you can ask what your chances are. they have a 2nd degree program now, too. i graduated from rutgers in '99 & went back to rutgers nursing in '01 & had absolutely no problem getting in. my GPA was OK..not greater than 3.5, though. the application process was easy, because they had easy access to my transcripts. i say talk to someone there, b/c they can be very helpful. & if you graduated from rutgers economics...they'll see that you're a smart cookie. also, i agree with an early poster...try to bring up your GPA with the pre-req's. good luck!

i think you have to ask yourself what you really want in life...are you doing this for yourself or to make your parents happy...are you doing it only for the money, etc. etc. it definitely takes a certain type of person to be a nurse. in order to put up with the stress of being a nurse, you have to seriously be a caring and compassionate person. even though you may feel overworked & unappreciated at times, the only thing that got me through my shifts was the ones that i helped get better & that's the most rewarding part of the job. as for not having a social life...that's not true. you may have to study a lot, but you do have time to go out & half the fun is meeting new classmates. you'll have to make some sacrifices for a few years, but the rewards can be great. you'll make good money (esp. in CA), you'll always have a job, you can travel, & you have a lot of choices in what you want to do. we're not all pooper scoopers...for instance, you can work in mental health or in OB. the beauty of it is that there's a ton of things you can do with it. & if somewhere down the line you realize its not for you, you can always have a career change. its not the end of the world. i know someone that made enough money as a nurse to buy her own home, travel the world, & pay for herself to go back to school to follow her real passion. with all that said, i have to emphasize that its not for everyone...some love it, some hate it. you should take advantage of working as a clerk & ask the nurses what they think. maybe your manager will even let you help the nurses out if you're not busy & you can experience it for yourself firsthand. hope this helps.